The Small Business Advisory Council (SBAC) of the Chamber met this morning to discuss the November Housing Ballot Initiatives as well as hear legislative updates from the public policy team. Tim Colen, Executive Director of the Housing Action Coalition, provided details of the four housing focused initiatives and their potential impact on San Francisco and the future of affordable housing. Colen briefed the audience on the November housing ballot measures and touched on a couple key points including:

Passage of Propositions A and D is critical to ensuring the city is able to meet its affordable housing goals.

Market-rate housing creates that largest source of funds to build affordable housing. Passing Proposition I will temporarily halt the construction of any housing in the Mission District and could set off similar campaigns in other neighborhoods that would cut funding to affordable housing when San Francisco needs it most.

Ballot measures have become the vehicle for making land use decisions, creating unintended consequences. We must be careful as to what we approve at the ballot, as those decisions can only be modified by future ballot measures.

The City does not have the funds to subsidize enough housing units to stabilize our communities. We must stay open to using different tools, including density bonuses, to combat the affordability crisis.